The Pirate's Game
by Simba72598
Summary: When a client claims to have hidden millions of dollars worth of jewels aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean, Colt, Howie, and Jody team up with a reluctant Kay Faulkner to find the treasure. An old enemy of Colt's is also aboard, however, so the team must take on disguises, at least until modern-day pirates take over the ship and hold Jody hostage.
1. Chapter 1

Colt Severs slammed down the phone and sighed.

His cousin and stuntman in training, Howie Munson, glanced up from the tennis match on TV and frowned. "What's up, Colt? You look like I ate the last of your cookies."

"Well, kid," Colt sank down on the couch. "We just got ourselves a job."

"Did one of Big Jack's clients just bail again?"

"Not this time. But the client did confess to something. Apparently he hid ten million dollars worth of diamonds aboard the Caribbean Cruise liner and Big Jack wants us to find them before, well, before ten million dollars get discovered by the wrong people."

Howie let his jaw drop, the tennis game long forgotten. "Colt! It'll be like a vacation, a search for treasure in the Caribbean! This is great!"

Colt Severs frowned. "There's always a catch, kid, and this time, it's name is Kay Faulkner."

Howie wrinkled his nose. "What's she got to do with anything?"

"She's already been assigned to investigate the case. Most likely, we'll meet up with her aboard the ship and Big Jack already ordered us to work together."

Howie grimaced but then shrugged. "It's still the Caribbean, Colt." He hopped up from the couch. "I'm gonna go call Jody. Boy, this'll be fun!"

Colt watched his cousin leave the room eagerly, but all he felt was dread. When had Big Jack's assignments ever been as enjoyable as she promised?

•••

"Colt Severs," Jody declared as she lugged her suitcase up the stairs that led to their cabins. "This is, without a doubt, the best case you've invited me on in a long time." She adjusted the sunglasses that were perched on top of her long blonde hair and grinned at the two men following her. "A week here? We'll probably find the diamonds or jewels or whatever they are, tonight, and then have days of sun and-"

Colt tuned out his stunt woman trainee and peered down the hall they had just walked into. Howie was agreeing with Jody, blind to anything else, but Colt was sure that their task would be easier said than done. Especially if his eyes were telling the truth and that the man at the end of the hall was who Colt thought he was.

"Quick, in here," muttered Colt as he motioned for Howie and Jody to follow him into a random cabin along the hallway.

"But, Colt, we're number 127, not 112, you must be-"

"Quiet, kid." Colt hissed back, nearly pushing his cousin into the room. "I'll explain later."

Fortunately, Jody and Howie nodded and quietly followed Colt. Once the door was safely locked, Colt sank onto the bed and suppressed a groan.

"Well, it looks like our job just got a bit more complicated. Did either of you see the man at the end of the hall?"

When Howie and Jody both shook their heads, Colt preceded to explain.

"Billy Hernandez was a fellow bounty hunter for years, until, that is, I arrested him for his criminal acts. He did jail time for a couple years, then got off and moved somewhere down south. If you ask me, though, his criminal side was still at large even when he was released."

"And he's here, now?" Jody frowned. "Do you think he'll recognize you?"

"I have no doubt he will. He has a bit of a vendetta against me." Colt took off his hat and rubbed his head. "Also, I bet he's here for the same thing we are."

"Oh boy," said Howie. "How are we going to beat him?"

"Well, let's start by not letting him see us. The last thing anyone needs while searching for treasure is to constantly be guarding oneself."

Someone rapped on the cabin door and all three nearly jumped.

"Hello? Is someone in there?" An elderly lady hollered through the walls and Colt guilty remembered that they were in the wrong room.

He unlocked the door and hastily apologized as the lady chewed her bottom lip in confusion. A nurse stood nearby, ready to help the older woman. She stared at Colt and his companions suspiciously as they hurried down the hall to their own room. There was no sign of Billy Hernandez.

"Well, that was embarrassing." Jody remarked as she set her bags down. "The poor old lady must have thought we were robbing her room."

"Or that we were just really dumb," added Howie.

"Hopefully she'll think that," said Jody with a laugh. "What a weird thing to wish. Anyway, -don't you dare put your bags there, Howie! I call the bed."

"Hey, Colt," Howie complained. "Why couldn't you have gotten two rooms?"

"Because Big Jack's cheap." Colt muttered back, deep in thought.

Another knock at the door put the group on alert, though when the door swung open a second later, everyone was surprised to see Kay Faulkner.

"You ought to lock your door, Colt Severs. Someday someone's gonna do you serious damage."

"Someone? Referring to yourself?"

"Funny. How's your investigation coming so far?"

"Our investigation?" Howie spoke up. "We just got on board a few minutes ago!"

"So?"

"Alright, listen up, Kay," said Colt. "I've got a bit of a situation." He told Kay about his old enemy.

"So he doesn't like you. What a surprise."

Colt ignored her jab and explained that it was probably better if Hernandez didn't recognize them. "I think I have a plan, but it'll involve a disguise." Colt turned to Kay. "Would you rather be a nurse or an invalid?"

"What? Colt Severs, you better-"

"Fine, I'll let you be the nurse. Jody, pretend I'm your father. Oh, and that you're married to Howie."

Jody and Howie both blinked at Colt as if he'd developed an extra set of eyes.

Colt, however, was enjoying himself. "We'll be a happy family going on vacation, but my crazy old man act will keep me from being suspicious, even as I investigate the other passengers. Kay will do her own investigation among the staff. Howie and Jody can be in charge of making friends with Hernandez and searching the ship." Colt grinned. "All we need is for Kay to find a nurse uniform and get me a wheelchair. And for Jody to put her make-up skills to use and give me a few more wrinkles."

"Colt, don't you think this is rather...I don't know...crazy?" Howie looked dubious.

"Kid, have you seen what we do for a living? Pretend you're in a movie."

"Here, honey," Jody said in a mock sweet voice as she pulled a handful of jewelry out of her bag and passed a plastic ring to Howie. "It only fits on my thumb, so maybe you can wear it."

Howie frowned and slid it on his left hand. "I think it's stuck. It's cutting off my circulation. "

"Tough." Jody retorted as she put a fancy plastic ring on her own hand. "Now, father, why don't you sit down. You look tired."

Colt grinned at Jody, thankful she approved of his plan. Kay would probably need more convincing, but that was nothing new. To his surprise though, she just threw up her hands and whined, then promised to be back in an hour with a uniform and a wheelchair.

Colt smiled at his cousin wryly as Jody pulled out her make-up bag. This would certainly be an interesting cruise.


	2. Chapter 2

"Can't you move me to the shade? I'm getting toasted, here." Colt complained in his best elderly man voice. Kay had been successful in finding a wheelchair and a uniform, and even more spectacular in obtaining a bottle of potent bleach. Colt's hair was now tinted white, and when he sat in the wheelchair, he truly felt old.

"Cut it out, there's no one around but us and I'm not taking orders from you." Kay Faulkner retorted from where she stood in the shade, arms crossed. They had been on the pool deck for almost an hour, visiting with other passengers and surreptitiously peeking in the lockers. Yet, they hadn't found anything remotely helpful and Colt was worried that he was sweating his make-up off.

The double-doors that led to the lower deck suddenly swung open and a young couple walked towards the pool visiting with another, more familiar, couple.

"Hello, father!" Jody bounded to Colt's side and gave his bleached hair a quick kiss.

"Yeah, hey, Pops," said Howie less enthusiastically. "Meet Tina and Russ Wells. They're headed to the Caribbeans for a rare jewel showing at the end of the week. Pretty exciting, right?"

Colt had a moment of quick appreciation for Howie and Jody's detective skills before the other couple moved to shake his hand.

"Yeah, fascinating." Colt scratched the back of his neck as he surveyed the jewel fanatics, whom he supposed to be in their early thirties. "Did my daughter tell you I was a jewel collector in my youth? Sold 'em to big jewelry chains across the country."

"What a job!" The lady, Tina, exclaimed.

"Yes, I enjoyed it. So, tell me about this jewel showing."

"From what we know," Russ started, "a bunch of diamonds are being put on display, but there will also be chances to buy and sell jewels. It's a pretty big convention. Five or six other passengers are attending as well."

Colt caught Kay's gaze out of the corner of his eye. She was hanging on every word. If ten million dollars worth of jewels had been hidden on board a ship headed to a foreign jewel market, it wasn't done on accident. Someone else on board was supposed to finish the job, get the gems and sell them in the Caribbeans without a trace. But if so many on the ship were interested in the convention... narrowing down a suspect could be harder.

Colt backhanded his brow and winced as he noticed the sticky make-up rubbing off on his hand. "Nurse!" He whined. "Nurse!"

"Are you all right, Father?" Jody crouched by his wheelchair, ever the concerned daughter.

"Yes, yes, I just need to get back to my room to take my medication. Without it I get very forgetful. And sometimes schizophrenic." Colt smiled, inclining his head towards the Wells,' so they understood he was explaining his condition for their benefit. "You go on and have a nice swim." He told Jody and Howie. "Nurse!"

"I'm here," grumbled Kay as she turned his wheelchair and started pushing Colt toward the exit. As soon as they were back in the corridor, Colt let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Well, they said the convention was at the end of the week." Kay said, evidently reading Colt's discouraged thoughts. "If we made this much progress in a couple hours, we'll have the case wrapped up in no time."

"Let's hope so." Colt rubbed his chin, further messing up his old-man look. "So, how good are you at being a make-up artist?"

•••

Howie dried his hair off with a towel as he listened to Jody and Tina visit.

"Yes, we've been married several years," Tina was saying. "We met back in college."

"Aww, how sweet." Jody commented. "This trip marks the three-year anniversary for Howie and I. We met through my father actually. Howie wanted to, err, get into the jewel selling business."

"Did you?" Russ asked, elbowing Howie as if they were old friends.

Howie hung up his towel and smiled dryly. "Turns out I'm not a salesperson. I'm better at just keeping track of sales. I'm an accountant."

"And that's perfectly fine." Jody moved closer to Howie and kissed his cheek. "Less traveling, that way."

Howie smiled at her and wove their fingers together. His ring was still cutting off his circulation, but he was having fun pretending to be married to Jody. And right now, watching her in her bikini...Howie almost wished they really were on their three-year anniversary cruise.

"Let's meet up for dinner." Tina Wells suggested. "It's been great getting to know you."

"Sounds good. See you then." Jody grabbed her towel with her free hand and she and Howie headed back inside. As soon as they made it to an empty hallway, Jody let go of his hand and started laughing.

"An accountant, really?"

"Saying I was a stuntman would surely bring up questions." Howie responded, smiling. "And admitting to being a bounty hunter would be even worse."

Jody covered her mouth with a hand to keep from snorting. "I don't even know why this is so funny, but it is." She shook her head. "I feel so deceitful."

"You're just a good actress."

"And you're not a bad actor. Though calling Colt 'Pops?'" Jody laughed again. "I thought I was gonna lose it."

Someone rounded the corner and Howie automatically wrapped an arm around Jody's shoulder. His stomach tightened when he realized the stranger was Billy Hernandez. Colt had wanted them to talk to him, but how were they supposed to do that?

The hallway was barely wide enough for someone with a suitcase to walk comfortably; two people side-by-side was a tight squeeze. There was no way for Billy Hernandez to get past them at a distance. Howie pulled Jody against the wall and nodded at Hernandez politely as he passed. Hernandez stared at them rather suspiciously though, and after he passed, Howie looked at Jody anxiously.

"Do you think he saw us board with Colt?"

She shrugged. "I hope not. That would ruin our whole disguise tactic."

Howie stared down the corridor Hernandez had turned into.

"Are you up for being a stalker?"

Jody smiled, slightly confused. "Uhh, sure?"

Howie started walking after Colt's old foe. "Let's see what he's up to."


	3. Chapter 3

It was the evening meal and Colt hadn't seen Howie or Jody for hours. He hoped they were all right. Kay had fixed his make-up, grumbling the entire time, and then she had wheeled him around the upper decks, casually visiting with other passengers, but not finding any worthwhile information. Though Colt had originally liked his disguise, he was getting tired of sitting in the wheelchair. In fact, he was rather miserable. He had to keep Kay from knowing, though. He didn't want her to have that sort of satisfaction.

"Are you planning on eating or are you just going to stare at your food all night?" Kay asked him as he fiddled with a spoonful of mashed potatoes.

"I need my nurse to feed me," said Colt, just to irk her.

"Humph," Kay wrinkled her nose at him. "I guess you'll have to go hungry, old man."

"You know you're a horrible nurse."

"You're a spiteful patient."

"Only for you." Colt smiled charmingly, then caught sight of Jody and Howie. They seated themselves beside Tina and Russ, then shook hands with five other people sitting across from them.

"They've made friends." Kay observed. "That's more than you can say."

"That's more than _you_ can say." Colt responded, shooting her a look.

Kay suddenly elbowed him, nearly causing Colt to drop his potatoes. "There's Hernandez!"

Colt knew better than to look directly at his enemy. Even with his disguise, Hernandez was bound to see through him sooner or later.

"What's he up to?"

"He just sat down at Jody and Howie's table." Kay responded. "He's talking to them...oh, now the three of them are getting up and saying goodbye to the friends they just made...they're leaving with Hernandez, Colt!" Kay whispered, but her voice still in concern. "What are they thinking?"

"Don't panic, they know how to handle themselves- most of the time." Colt rubbed his chin and tried to ignore his rapidly increasing worry. It was no use eating now. His appetite had vanished entirely.

"Come on, nurse." Colt said loud enough for the people around them to hear. "I'm tired, take me back to my room. Now."

"Someone's bossy." Kay mumbled. Nevertheless, she quickly turned his wheelchair away from the table and practically ran Colt out of the dining hall. If Hernandez saw through Jody and Howie's disguises, there was no telling what he would do to them.

•••

Jody's guard had gone up the moment she and Howie had sat down for dinner. Tina and Russ seemed to have many friends on board- friends that all shared a common interest in the jewel showing at the end of the week. It was all too easy to believe that Big Jack's client had an accomplice on board, but since everyone seemed capable of being the jewel expert, everyone was a suspect. Jody had politely joined in the small talk with the others while they were all waiting for their food, but when Howie had elbowed her and pointed out Hernandez, she had lost track of the conversation entirely.

"He's coming toward us. What if he saw us spying on him earlier? Do you think he suspects something?" Howie leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Not unless you keep acting suspicious." Jody hissed back.

"Aww, you two are so cute." Tina suddenly said to Jody and Howie. They both blinked back at her like deer caught nibbling from a garden. "Russ hardly ever whispers flirty little sayings to me anymore." She cast a scornful eye at her husband across the table. He was busy talking about the weight of a certain gemstone with another guy; he didn't seem to have heard.

Jody felt like she was an intruder on the private state of Tina and Russ's marriage. She glanced at Howie, but he didn't seem to know what to say either. So, they both sat and stared at Tina and at each other for a long awkward moment. When Hernandez stopped at their table, Jody was almost grateful.

"Hello, Tina." He nodded politely to the woman then turned to Jody and Howie. "I haven't seen you two around. Who might you be?"

"Jody and Howie Munson." Jody replied so quickly that she didn't have time to feel weird about using Howie's last name.

"They're going to the jewel show too." Tina added in a falsely chipper voice.

"Well, how interesting."

"Jody's father too." Tina continued, pointing towards Colt. "He used to be in the jewel business."

Hernandez turned subtly to view Colt out of the corner of his eye. Jody's heart skipped a beat. They had to think of a distraction!

"So, um, what was your name again?" Howie said quickly, evidently reading Jody's mind. He extended a hand to Hernandez, waiting for the man to introduce himself. To Jody's surprise (and dread) Hernandez instead asked Jody and Howie to come with him.

"We'll be right back," he promised Tina, who looked slightly puzzled. "Right this way, Mr. And Mrs. Munson."

Jody glanced at Howie quickly and saw the same nervousness on his face as she saw on her own. They left the dining hall and followed Hernandez onto the upper deck. Jody's heart rate steadily climbed. Was he planning on throwing them overboard? If so, he was in for a fight. The years of doing stunts and solving mysteries with Colt had insured that she and Howie both knew how to throw a pretty hard punch.

To Jody's relief though, Hernandez stopped in the middle of the open deck- not at all near the railing. He was wearing a cowboy hat and jeans, and he studied the two bounty hunters suspiciously before speaking.

"First off, you can't seriously expect anyone to believe your story about being jewel show frequenters when you're wearing plastic wedding bands."

Jody and Howie kept their gazes on Hernandez. "Secondly," he continued, "Colt Severs' doesn't know I have eyes all over this ship. If he wants to be in disguise, he's got to stop rubbing his old man make-up off."

"What do you mean you have eyes all over? Have you been spying on everyone?"

"Much like you two were spying on me this afternoon? Of course. Because when you're hunting for a hundred millions dollars, you have better results with more eyes."

"It's ten million, not a hundred million." Jody corrected, feeling it was pointless to keep up the charade now that Hernandez obviously knew they weren't who they had pretended to be.

"Wrong." Hernandez smiled. "Ten million dollars may have been hidden, but keep in mind all the people aboard who are going to sell valuables at the much anticipated jewel show. If all of their goods were added up..." Hernandez smiled grimly and Jody felt like she'd taken a blow to the stomach.

"Are you planning on robbing everyone?"

"No." Hernandez made a strange gesture in the air, then pointed at Howie."He is."

"What?!" Howie's sputtering came to a halt as several of the ship's passengers pulled out guns and grabbed Howie and Jody, separating them, one on either side of Hernandez.

"I assume you both have the sense not to scream or struggle." Hernandez said calmly. "If you do, my "eyes" will not hesitate to shoot you."

"Hernandez, quit this madness! You're not a killer!" Jody had to get him to see reason. She firmed her jaw as the man holding the gun pressed it harder into her side. She couldn't show fear- not now.

"Maybe I wasn't a killer, not when I knew your friend, Colt. A hundred million dollars though...that's a game changer." Hernandez drawled and turned to Howie. "So, you're going to find the money for me, or else I'm going to sell your pretty wife," Hernandez winked. "The traffickers will make sure that she's never seen again once we make port tonight. You decide. Oh, but did I also mention that if you don't find me anything, or if for some reason you decide to double cross me, I've snuck a bomb on board. You're not a killer, Howie," Hernandez mocked. "Don't let these people die on your account."

Howie bared his teeth angrily, but didn't say anything.

Jody heard a loud buzzing noise and looked above her to see a helicopter. It hovered for a few moments, then slowly landed on the deck, making Jody's hair whip into her face wildly. Other passengers ran onto the deck to see what was happening, and began screaming as they noticed the gunmen and the helicopter. Among them, Jody briefly recognized Colt and Kay, before several men lifted her off her feet and loaded her on board the chopper.

"No, Howie! Colt!" Jody screamed. Hernandez slammed the door closed after he climbed inside. She saw him give Colt (wheelchair forgotten) a salute and a cocky smirk. Then the helicopter lifted off the deck and something hit Jody in the back of the head. Everything went dark.


	4. Chapter 4

The upper deck of the cruise ship was in chaos. Howie lost no time in punching his captors, and while they staggered in confusion, he ran to where Kay and Colt were standing.

"Colt! Colt, they took Jody!" Howie felt irrationally panicked. They had all been in dangerous situations many times before- Jody could handle herself, but that knowledge didn't seem to lessen Howie's fear. He needed to rescue her. Immediately. But Hernandez had said there was a bomb on the boat- he wanted a ransom. If they didn't get it... Howie's heart skipped several beats in a row.

"Yeah, yeah, I saw, kid." Colt mumbled, seeming angry and frustrated. "I wonder how many lifeboats the cruise ship has. We need to start evacuating people."

"But what about Jody?!"

Colt ran a hand through his hair and glanced at Kay. "We'll get her back. In the meantime she can hold her own. We need to make sure this ship doesn't get blown sky high."

Howie wanted to punch something, to shout at Colt, to make him see that the meager plan wasn't good enough. But Colt was right. They had no way of going after Jody unless they managed to get to a life boat. And they had to help the other passengers, too. The majority were innocent vacationers. They didn't deserve to get caught in the middle of a battle. Howie sighed as he continued to watch people race around the deck, yelling about a kidnapping, a bomb, and guns.

Uh, oh. Howie had forgotten about Hernandez's "eyes." Colt and Kay were observing the chaos, too, apparently realizing they were all in for a heap of trouble.

"Got any plans?" Howie whispered to Colt.

"Well, I have an idea, but I'm mainly making it up as I go. Just follow my lead." Colt straightened his back like a fighter going into the ring, and marched up to one of the gunmen.

"Hey, you! If we have to get a hundred million dollars, we could use one of those weapons."

The gunman laughed. "No way, man."

"Well, if you paid attention to your boss, you might recall that he placed a bomb on board. You're on board. Do the math and be smart. We're going to need some help to get the passengers to cooperate."

A flicker of panic showed on the man's face as he glanced at the floor beneath him as if afraid it would blow up any moment. Howie figured Hernandez hadn't emphasized the bomb being on board with the gunmen. The concept seemed to unnerve the croonie.

"Well, uh, fine. But...don't shoot me... You're honorable, right?"

"More so than you," Colt muttered as he slowly took the gun. The thug immediately scampered away.

"After him, Howie." Colt hissed. "He's probably going for the lifeboats. Get as many scared passengers on board as well. Kay and I will look for the jewels and try to keep everyone alive. If you get the chance, don't wait for us. Get to port and try to track down Jody. I know you can do it, kid."

Colt opened his mouth as if to say something more, but then closed it and settled for clapping Howie on the shoulder. "Get going, now."

Unexpectedly, Howie felt more uneasy than he had all day. Colt seemed as if he was saying goodbye, as if he thought there wasn't much chance they'd all come out of the situation unscathed. Colt was always confident, though. If he was doubting their survival...

Howie gulped and nodded firmly to show he understood Colt's instructions. Kay came up beside them and Howie let his gaze sweep across them both. "Just, be careful."

"You too, kid. Watch out for Jody."

With that, Colt lifted his gun onto his shoulder and motioned for Kay to follow him. They both hurried off, and Howie turned and ran below deck, the direction the disarmed gunman had gone. Watch out for Jody...that really made it sound like Colt was going to die.

As he ran down another flight of steps, Howie supposed he shouldn't freak out too much- chances were they were all going to die unless they stopped Hernandez.

Another deck below, Howie spotted several armed passengers struggling with the lifeboats. He noticed an intercom on the wall across from an employee only door, and Howie felt a burst of inspiration. He rushed to the intercom and held down the talk button.

"Attention all passengers. We are having a situation, and for your own safety, it is advised that you proceed to the first deck where the lifeboats are stored. We will be evacuating the ship. Don't bring anything with you, and don't panic. Thank you. This is your captain speaking." Several of the gunmen had noticed Howie and headed towards him. He quickly turned off the intercom feeling like he would have made a good cruise ship captain.

"Hey you!" A thug aimed his gun and Howie instinctively ducked as he hid behind a row of lounge chairs. Bullets scared the boat's railing as they zinged over Howie's head.

So now he had to distract Mr. Trigger-happy. Howie dashed around another corner and up a flight of stairs, hopping two steps at a time. Badly aimed shots hit the walls behind him, and Howie sprinted down the nearest corridor, faster than before. He spotted a cabin with its door slightly ajar, and without stopping to contemplate the idea, Howie barged into the room and closed the door behind him.

"Ahh!" A little old lady shrieked and whacked Howie with a rolled-up magazine. Howie blinked several times and quickly apologized to the lady.

"Get out, get out!" She cried repeatedly. Howie waited until his pursuer thundered down the hallway, past the room, then he turned back to the old lady.

"Didn't you hear the captain's announcement? We both have to get to the lifeboats!"

"Oh, I heard the order, but I'm not leaving my valuables. And I can't remember my combination for the safe..." The lady massaged the sides of her grey head as if that would help her recall the code quicker. Howie sighed and poked his head out the door. It was clear. For the moment.

"Listen, lady. I've got to get to the lifeboats, and you're coming with me. There's a bomb on this ship. People with guns. And not only that, but they've kidnapped my wife."

Howie paused for a moment realizing that wasn't exactly true, but he hadn't minded the sound of it. The little old lady was still staring at him though, so he continued with his speech.

"Your valuables aren't worth your life. Even if these pirates end up getting them, what matters is that you'll be fine. Trust me."

The lady fidgeted with her magazine, then reluctantly nodded. Howie led her into the hallway and began knocking on other cabin doors as they headed for the first deck. The more people that could escape, the better.

By the time they got to the lifeboats, a group of Hernandez's henchmen had already boarded and lowered one of the inflatable rafts. Howie didn't bother trying to stop them. The fewer gunmen on board, the easier it would be to stop Hernandez.

"Come on, into the boats!" Howie directed traffic until some of the cruise ship personnel took over. Then he was free to climb aboard as well. There was a port only about thirty minutes away, but Howie was so distracted, it wasn't until the final ten minutes of the ride that he noticed Tina and Russ and all their friends on the same lifeboat.

"Howie!" Tina exclaimed. "Where's Jody? What's happening? What did Hernandez want with you guys?"

"Hernandez wants a hundred million." Howie muttered. "He's holding Jody hostage somewhere. He put a bomb on the boat. Said we had to get him the money or he'd-"

"Why you guys? Are you in league with him or-"

"No. Jody, Colt, Kay, and I, were all aboard for the sole purpose of foiling Hernandez's plan. We're not vacationers or jewel seekers, we're undercover bounty hunters."

"What?" Tina and Russ both looked affronted.

"Yeah, sorry about that. We're going to stop him though. Colt and Kay are looking for both the jewels and the bomb. I'm going to find Jody and Hernandez."

Tina and Russ both looked at each other and whispered something. Then they turned back to Howie. "You know what? We've been to the Caribbean quite a few times. We know this port. We're going to help you find your wife."

Howie didn't bother to correct them. He nodded, thankful, and watched the undulating water as they neared the harbor. Hang on, Jody, he thought. I'll find you.

•••

Jody awoke feeling horrendously sore. She didn't know how long she'd been out or where she'd been taken to, but whoever had transported her obviously hadn't been very gentle.

"Ah, she's awake." Jody recognized Hernandez's voice even with her eyes closed.

"You don't have to do this, Hernandez. No one's been seriously hurt yet. You can still turn yourself in."

"And miss out on a hundred million? I could get a life of ease with that sort of money. No more bounty-hunting for me."

Jody opened her eyes slowly and let her head adjust for nearly a minute before she responded, "You should've known not to mess with us, Hernandez. You know Colt. He's a better bounty-hunter than you ever were. Kay's a private investigator. And Howie and I can hold our own."

Her captor smiled, as if accepting a challenge. "We'll see about that."

Jody realized she was tied to a desk leg in a small wooden room. Hernandez sat at another desk several feet away from her. The air was hot and humid, and for a supposedly bustling port city, it seemed very quiet outside the room - which concerned Jody. It would be easier to escape in the middle of the city. If they had taken her to the outskirts of town, or deep into the jungle-like forests of the Caribbean, she might be stuck for a while. Not to mention she wouldn't know which way to run.

Jody twisted her wrists, which were tied behind her to the desk leg. Tight. Little chance of slipping away. The ropes were already starting to cut off circulation. Jody could hardly feel her fingers.

She sighed and glanced back at Hernandez. He was poring over several papers, looking busy. Jody wondered how much she could get him to spill.

"So, if you do set the bomb off, you know you won't get any of the money. Why do such a thing?"

He ignored her so she decided to ask another question.

"How did you find out about the jewels? The ones we were originally supposed to find? Are you an accomplice of Big Jack's client?"

Hernandez straightened and Jody knew she'd hit a home run.

"You are his accomplice! You already found the ten million we were searching for, but while you were investigating, you found you could get even richer if you stole some more. You hired thugs in advance and you set out to take the ship. Even if you only found a few million more, it wouldn't matter, not really. You found a prize, and so a bomb's not too big of a deal. It just cleans up the evidence. You-"

"Shut up!" Hernandez had been sitting quietly through Jody's brainstorming, but now he whirled around and grabbed a fistful of Jody's long blonde hair.

"You better keep your mouth shut from here on out or else I'll forget about selling you and dash your pretty head on the ground."

Hernandez grabbed Jody's shirt and her panic flared. He simply tore a strip off though, turning it into a suitable gag, which he then proceeded to shove in Jody's mouth.

"There. I'm having company in a little while. I want you on your best behavior." He scooped his papers off the table and left the room, slamming the door as he went. Jody was left in dark, painful silence, and despite her struggles against her bonds, the only thing she could do was hope someone could rescue her.


	5. Chapter 5

Colt met back up with Kay on deck three. He hoped she had been more successful than he had.

"Well, did you find the bomb?" Colt used his coat sleeve to rub the last few fake wrinkles off of his forehead. They had been searching for half an hour. Colt was getting ready to think Hernandez was pulling a bluff.

Kay adjusted her skirt, looking pale and exhausted. "I actually did find it, Colt. It's in a safe on the bottom deck."

For a moment Colt didn't process her words. "Wait, you found it? Really?"

Kay gave him a look. "And here I thought the deafness was simply part of your disguise."

"Well did you disarm it?"

"Colt, would I be looking so upset if I had been able to save the day?"

"So it was in a safe. Haven't you ever cracked a safe before? You're an investigator." They both started down the stairs, walking briskly even as they argued.

"Yes, I am an investigator! Which means I don't break into safes, I find the people who do!" Kay waved her hands in exasperation. "What about you? Surely you can crack a safe?"

"Well, I'm an expert when it comes to picking door locks, and I've broken a locker-type combo before. How hard can it be?" Colt tried to sound confident if only for Kay's sake. "How'd you find it if it's in a safe?"

"I could hear it ticking, you dolt."

"Hey, it's Colt, not dolt. Remember, we're on the same side here."

Kay crossed her arms and walked faster.

They finally reached the bottom deck and Kay led Colt to where the safe was. He set his gun on top of the vault and pressed his ear to the outside of the safe, nodding. Tick, tick, tick. The bomb was definitely inside.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Kay waved her hands at him, nearly frantic. "Can you disarm it?"

"Be quiet and let me try," Colt mumbled as he kept his ear near the lock and fiddled with the safe dial. With his ear to the metal, however, all he could hear was the ticking bomb echoing twice as loudly as before.

"It's no use." He took a step back and surveyed the vault. It looked like it was anchored to the ground. There would no moving it.

"So, what? We're giving up?" Kay's fire was gone from her voice. She was scared.

Colt put a hand on her shoulder and waited until she met his eyes. "We're going to finish evacuating the ship. Then we're going to get off."

"What about the jewels?" Kay whispered. Colt sighed. He'd forgotten about them. But were they really even on the ship? Hernandez hadn't given them a phone number to call if they found the valuables. He must have doubted their existence more than he had let on.

"I think we better get off the ship first...Then we can find Hernandez..." Colt grabbed his gun in one hand and took Kay's hand in the other. Come on, let's go."

She pulled out of his grasp and ran to the staircase, shaking her head. "Actually, Colt, follow me! I have an idea!" Without waiting for him, she began up the steps, taking them two at a time. Feeling like he had no choice in the matter, Colt sighed and ran after her.

•••

The lifeboat reached the port and Howie leaped onto the first dock they floated past. Russ and Tina stumbled after him, hurrying to the side of the street where Howie was signaling a cab.

"Hang on, man. Do you have any idea where you're going?" Russ asked.

Howie didn't- but he did know where he wasn't going.

"We need to get somewhere a helicopter could land- which obviously isn't downtown. Let's start by heading out to the airport."

"Sure thing." Tina and Russ exchanged a look, but Howie didn't care if they thought he was crazy. He only cared about finding Jody. He needed her to be safe- more than he would have ever admitted out loud.

The three hopped in a taxi and Howie counted the minutes until he caught since of the tarmac. Maybe he could find a way to see if a helicopter had touched down recently? From the window it didn't look like there were any copters nearby. Could Hernandez be hiding around the back?

"So, if not the airport, where will we look next?" Russ was frowning at Howie. When Howie didn't respond immediately, he continued, "Are you sure you guys were just faking the whole marriage-love thing? You're freaking out, man."

"Of course we were," mumbled Howie. In truth, he wasn't entirely sure why he was so panicked. Colt got captured all the time; even Jody had been captured before, but in the past, it had never felt the way it did know- as if the world would shatter to pieces if they couldn't find her-fast.

They all got out at the airport, but to Howie's distress, there was no sign of a recent landing. They snuck around the fence leading to the tarmac and Howie searched frantically for a helicopter. Nothing.

"Look over here!" Tina was standing by a bulletin board propped against the metallic wall of the nearest airplane hangar. "It's mostly in Spanish, but it's obvious there's a list of which private flights have gone out today." She frowned as Howie and Russ jogged over. "I'm not seeing any helicopters." She glanced back at Howie, disappointed. "I don't think they'd be here- but there's another airport across town, closer to the waterfront."

Howie was already shaking his head. "That airport's too big. Way too many witnesses to pull off a kidnapping. That's why I was so set on this one..." He kicked the metal wall of the hangar and winced. He had to think of another spot a helicopter could land...a spot isolated enough to keep the secrecy.

"Let's go to the edge of town. There's bound to be a field or someplace a chopper could land. It doesn't have to be a whole runway." He rubbed his foot, sore from where he had kicked the wall, and waited for Tina and Russ to agree with his idea. They both stared at each other for a moment, then nodded. Howie was only reminded of all the times he and Jody had agreed-or disagreed- on plans with as little as a look. They were as different as day and night most times, but that was why they made a good team. Colt was the expertise, the chief; Jody the practical soldier and he, Howie, the reckless and possibly irresponsible soldier. But at least he had his good looks. He was wondering if Jody ever thought he was as handsome as he thought her beautiful, when Howie realized he was wasting time. They snuck back past the gates and hailed another taxi, and in his patchy, partially understandable Spanish, Howie asked the driver to simply take them through the countryside, the hills; anyplace where a chopper would think to land secretly.

The driver consented, but only after giving Howie a look that made it clear he thought the three of them were seriously odd American tourists.

It was nearly an hour before Howie caught a glimpse of anything possibly related to a helicopter. They had been on a hill, in the middle of no where, and Howie had seen a flash of shiny metal visible on a flat cliff area above their heads. It was as good enough a place to search as any, so he paid the driver, told him to wait on standby if he wanted more cash later, and climbed out of the cab into the humid Caribbean air. Tina and Russ followed somewhat reluctantly and Howie felt a little bad they had been dragged into the entire mess. But it was still nice to have company- even if they were a little skeptical.

"I'm pretty sure I saw something up there." Howie pointed to the cliff and started hiking up the side of the steep hill. Plants with huge leaves littered the area and Howie decided it would have been a pretty hike if the air wasn't so thick and he wasn't already breathless with nerves. They walked for several minutes in silence; the only noises were the birds and the trio's steady panting. Then they reached the cliff top. Against all odds, there it was: Hernandez's helicopter. Beyond the chopper sat a path leading deeper into the jungle. Howie was willing to bet anything Jody was somewhere down the path. He turned to Tina and Russ, thrilled with their success. To his surprise, neither of them were behind him.

"Tina? Ru-" Howie heard a soft click and whirled to the side to see his companions standing halfway in the bushes, a gun pointed at him.

"What's going on? Why?" Howie slowly raised his hands, his sudden hopes disappearing as rapidly as Colt's beer during a tennis game on TV.

"Sorry, Howie. Hernandez says you're getting too close." Russ shrugged and pulled the trigger. Before Howie had time to brace for the impact, he felt pressure in his upper chest and he staggered backwards, the explosion ringing in his ears. He'd been shot! He put a hand to the wound, partly in shock, and slowly sunk to his knees as his vision started to go blurry. No...he needed to get to Jody...no.

The last thing he saw before he passed out was a third figure joining Russ and Tina. Hernandez himself. Jody was near. He had to...find her...

•••

Jody was hopelessly trying to come up with escape ideas when she heard the gunshot. Had Hernandez shot one of his own people? She wouldn't have been surprised.

Minutes passed by and footsteps approached the cabin. She pulled herself up against the desk, the gag still in her mouth, but not able to entirely muffle her shriek at seeing Hernandez's thugs carrying Howie. A wounded Howie.

"I found your husband lurking in the bushes," Hernandez said, crouching down to look Jody in the eye. "Decided to show him my policy for trespassers."

You monster, thought Jody. Since she couldn't say anything, she had to settle for giving him her best death glare. He just seemed to think her amusing.

Two more people followed Hernandez into the room and she recognized Tina and Russ, her cruise ship friends. Russ was holding a gun though, and Tina seemed to be giving orders to Hernandez's men. Jody's hopes sunk lower than they'd been all day.

"We'll keep him alive if we can," Hernandez was telling Tina. "At least until she's out of the way," he jerked an elbow toward Jody. "We need some incentive if we want her to corporate."

Jody tried to tune everyone else out as she pulled at her bonds and leaned over Howie's limp form. A bloodstain soaked most of his tee-shirt, but she could see from the rise and fall of his chest that he was still hanging on- for now at least.

Russ, Hernandez, and several of the thugs went back outside and Tina crouched by Jody. "Sorry about all this. You did seem like a pretty decent person."

Tina's eyebrows were arched in pity, but she didn't sound truly sorry. At least not enough to help Jody escape. Jody tried to respond against the gag, but it was hard to get anything across other than a jumble of noises. Tina watched Jody for a long moment, appearing rather curious. Finally, the lady crouched by Jody and pulled out a knife. "Listen, there's no one for miles around. Screaming is only going to get you in trouble and if you get in trouble, Howie will be killed. I'm going to take your gag off, but keep that in mind."

Jody nodded repeatedly to show she understood. Tina cut the gag free and gave Jody a stern look. As she did, there was a sudden commotion outside and the lady pocketed her knife and headed toward the door. "Don't try anything funny." She pointed a finger at Jody and left the cabin. For a moment, Jody and Howie were alone.

"Howie, can you hear me?" Jody's hands were still bound, so there wasn't much she could do to help him, but at least she once more had her freedom of speech. "Howie? Please say something."

He stirred slightly at her voice, so she kept talking, hoping he would regain consciousness quicker. "Did you know Tina and Russ were probably with Hernandez the whole time? I bet he promised them a share in the jewels- which aren't even on the ship, Howie! He already found the jackpot and planted the bomb for the sole purpose of getting the civilians off the boat. That way their private safes could be raided. Hernandez is hoping Colt will do that portion of the dirty work in an effort to get me back, but he'll be running out of time soon. The bomb will go off and destroy all evidence of Hernandez's treachery." Jody paused for breath and stared at Howie's pained face. "I'm so sorry you got hurt. I knew you would come to rescue me- you or Colt, but I think I've been hoping it would be you. Though we could both use Colt about now..." She trailed off and bit her lip, continuing to watch Howie struggle through his unconscious state. "Don't worry. They're going to try to sell me but they're not going to get very far. But I can't let them kill you, Howie." Jody wasn't the type of girl who cried easily, but as she kept staring at Howie- her constant companion, her fellow bounty hunter and stunts person, her closest friend who sometimes drove her insane with all his dumb ideas and random "college facts," -she couldn't hold back the tears. She couldn't let Howie die, and she wouldn't.

He had risked everything to rescue her, now it was her turn to save him.

Somehow.


	6. Chapter 6

Colt had no idea what Kay was going on about, but he attempted to listen as they ran up the flights to the ship's bridge.

"Hernandez wanted us to let him know if we found anything," Kay was saying, "which means he must have left some way of communication. If we can speak with him through the ship's radio- which I'm betting is already set to the right frequency, then we might at least gather some more clues about what he's doing with Jody. Or about the bomb."

"Which could go off any minute," Colt muttered nervously. "We really should be getting put of here."

"We will, we will," Kay batted the air and opened the door to the bridge.

Immediately, both Colt and Kay spotted the captain, who whipped out a gun and fired a warning shot above their heads.

"Come on!" Colt moaned. "Who around here doesn't work for Hernandez?"

"Did you get the jewels?" barked the man, still pointing the gun at Colt and Kay.

"We wanted to radio Hernandez about that," said Kay. "If you'd kindly let us use the radio-"

"No! That's my job! Show me the jewels as proof and I'll call the boss."

"Well, you see, we're not robbers. Hernandez isn't going to get his jewels-"

The captain cocked his gun.

"-unless," added Colt hastily. "Unless we have evidence Jody is still alive. Radio boss man and tell him to put my protégé on the phone, por favor."

Colt crossed his arms and hoped the captain could tell he meant business. With a sigh, the man lowered his weapon and began dialing in a frequency. Colt exchanged a nervous glance with Kay. Neither of them had a clue as to what to do next.

•••

Jody was still talking to Howie, trying to rouse him somehow. Yet the moment her captors came back in the room, she fell silent.

"Okay, girly. Here's what I need you to do." He walked over to Jody, holding a handheld radio. He didn't comment about her nonexistent gag.

"I need you to tell your friends on the cruise ship that you're fine. No funny business, or else Howie gets to be put out of his misery. Got it?" He kneeled beside her and Jody nodded solemnly. Her mind was racing. Was there some hint she could give them? What would help Colt and Kay?

"All right. Here she is." Hernandez held the radio speaker up to Jody's mouth, and gave her a cautionary glance.

"I'm fine. I've always wanted to vacation in the jungles of the Caribbean," said Jody dryly. Hernandez snatched the radio away from her and slapped her across the face.

"The jungles? You were trying to clue them in!"

"No. I was simply being myself. In case you hadn't noticed, I can do sarcasm pretty well. And you wanted me to sound natural? Or did I mishear you?"

Hernandez seemed to calm down. He had already turned off the radio- Jody hadn't heard Colt's response, but she was glad to know he was still okay. Unlike her and Howie. The latter's breath was still labored. He needed to get to a hospital. Fast. Hernandez and Russ went back outside. Jody was left alone with Tina.

"So how did you get involved in this business?" Jody started talking, trying to find out how she could make Tina help save Howie. "You don't really strike me as a crazy-killer type. Unless you're the mastermind behind all this."

Tina scoffed. "Don't tease me. You're observant. I'm only here because of Russ. He got into some bad business with some people and so he joined league with Hernandez to bail himself out."

"Ah. You love Russ a lot, don't you?"

"Of course, what're you getting at?" Tina's voice was sharp. Jody tried to calm the lady down.

"I'm simply observing. You don't like Russ dealing with all these murderers and schemers. Sooner or later he's going to get hurt. If you could get him out of this mess, and go home, would you take that chance?"

Tina didn't answer. Jody took that as a yes.

"If you could save the man you loved, you wouldn't hesitate. Because you're brave, Tina. And you're still hanging onto hope. Like me." Jody pulled against her bonds and turned her most pleading eyes to her captor.

"Don't keep digging yourself into this life, Tina. Get out, now, before you're in too deep. Help me save Howie, and we'll help you and Russ. Please. Hernandez can't hurt you. Not when he's against my friends and I. Don't give up. Woman to woman, I'm begging you. Don't force me to sit here while my man bleeds to death."

Tina looked more emotional throughout Jody's entire speech. Yet when Jody finished, Tina only shook her head and whispered that she was sorry. Truly sorry. Jody believed her this time. But it still didn't help Howie's situation.

But then Hernandez walked back in. He was yelling something at Russ, rather harshly it sounded like, and to Jody's complete and utter astonishment, Tina turned her weapon on Hernandez and pulled the trigger.

He collapsed and everyone gasped.

"Tina!" Russ nearly screamed. "What did you just do?!"

Jody glanced at the motionless form of Billy Hernandez. He hadn't been as lucky as Howie. She watched as her captor exhaled and his eyes turned glassy. After a few more rattling breaths, he was dead. Gone.

"I'm saving us all! Surely you knew he was planning to double cross you in the end? Well, I'm getting us out of this while we have a chance."

Tina crouched down and freed Jody. She gave the woman a brief nod to say thanks, and then Jody scampered to Howie.

He already had his eyes open and was slowly rising to a sitting position.

"Howie!" It took much of Jody's restraint to keep from throwing herself at him. Instead, she hugged him gently from the side and put her hand against the bandages, wanting to make sure there was adequate pressure and that he wasn't still losing blood. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a half-gutted fish," he winced as she pressed on the bandages. But then he started grinning. "I've been awake for a while now. Your voice brought me out of it...but then I heard Tina, so I just faked unconsciousness throughout your conversation." Howie's smile got even wider, and Jody struggled to remember everything she'd said to Tina. Oh shoot... Her face suddenly felt warm. She'd compared Tina's love for Russ to her own concern for Howie. And hadn't she also called him _her_ man? That was embarrassing.

Yet Howie didn't seem disturbed. He acted wildly happy. So what did that mean? Jody pushed her thoughts to the side as Russ and Tina stopped their arguing and agreed to sneak away; to take Howie's taxi to port and disappear amidst the city chaos. Jody stood up to remind them of her presence.

"Hey! I need to take that taxi too! Howie needs a hospital!"

Tina looked somewhat sympathetic, but not as much as Jody had hoped. Russ just frowned. "A man with a gunshot wound will raise too many questions. You'll have to find another way. Sorry."

He started for the door and Tina gave a shrug. "Really sorry, Jody. Good luck, and thanks again!" They both ran outside, disappearing toward wherever Howie's taxi was waiting.

There was no way to catch up to them. Jody was strong, but not strong enough to carry Howie. And certainly not for that distance. She heard other footsteps outside too. More of Hernandez's men.

She grabbed the dead ringleader's weapon and tiptoed to the door of the shack.

"So, what's the plan?" grunted Howie as he made it to his knees without keeling over. "Lock ourselves in for a good 'ol gun-slinging showdown?"

"Let's hope not," said Jody. She could see several men running toward the shack, weapons in hand. Despite what she said, she ducked back inside and bolted the door.

"Let's find cover, Howie. It might be showdown time after all."

•••

Colt glanced at Kay as Jody finished her griping about the vacation in the jungle and the radio switched off entirely. No final threat from Hernandez, no hurry up- simply static.

"He better not have hurt Jody for mentioning the jungle," whispered Kay. Colt was thinking the same thing. They both looked to the captain, who seemed just as confused.

"Usually he likes to end with threats. Perhaps he will call back?"

The three stood on the bridge deck for thirty of the longest seconds of Colt's life. No one spoke, until they all seemed to realize- in unison, that there was a bomb soon to detonate.

Colt and Kay whirled on the captain, and in his moment of distraction, with two against one, they disarmed him. Colt angled the weapon at the other man. "Come on. Stop stalling. Defuse the bomb. We'll be better at looking for jewels anyway if we knew we weren't about to explode."

"I...I can't." The captain had his hands up in total surrender. "Hernandez built the bomb. He said he would tell me how to stop it as soon as you had the money." The captain was beginning to look scared. "I'll radio him again. He's the only one who knows how to keep this ship from blasting across the harbor."

Colt lowered his weapon so that the captain could try the radio frequency without fear of being shot in the back. There seemed to be no signal. What had happened on the other end?

As long as Jody was fine, and Howie was tracking her down, Colt figured he shouldn't worry. But he did anyway.

If something had happened to Hernandez...

•••

Jody pushed Hernandez's dead body in front of the doorway. She had already tipped his desk over, and helped Howie crouch behind it. The shack was made of flimsy wood; everything they could possibly hide behind meant less deadly bullet wounds. And who knew? Maybe they could even manage to survive.

"You hanging in there?" Jody moved a chair between the desk and the body. One more obstacle between them and their attackers.

Howie started to shrug, but then grimaced at the movement and instead just murmured a quick 'yeah.' His upper chest had been shot- the bullet had lodged between his sternum and his heart and that was still a very serious problem. He was lucky to be sitting up. Heck, thought Jody- he was incredulously lucky just to be alive.

"Keep the pressure on your wound. The bullet's keeping the blood from gushing too much. But don't press too hard! I don't want it shifting around either!"

"Yes, doctor," said Howie. His voice was little more than a whisper. Any earlier energy seemed to have worn off. He was getting weaker and weaker.

Someone rapped on the door. "Hernandez? You in there? What's going on?" The knocking continued and Jody's breath caught in her throat. She squeezed beside Howie and turned to position her stolen gun on top of the desk. If they started shooting, they were going to get some competition.

"Jody..." Howie was trying to talk to her even though he looked like he was on the verge of passing out. "I told Colt I would watch out for you. Don't... Don't get shot. I...want to keep my promise for forever." He reached for her hand and then slumped forward against the underside of the sideways desk. Jody just blinked. What on Earth had he just told her? That he wanted to watch out for her forever? What did that mean? Was it supposed to be romantic? Was he just being a good friend? Protective co-worker? Jody helped Howie onto the floor so he wouldn't wake up with a bruised face and she tried to clear her mind of all distractions. She couldn't be worrying over Howie's affections during a gun fight. Colt would seriously disapprove of that.

"Hernandez? We're coming in?" The man outside tried to open the door and apparently discovered it was locked. The door was so flimsy though, he gave it a solid kick and walked inside. The moment his eyes locked on Jody's he had his weapon drawn.

His reinforcements were right behind him, and suddenly Jody doubted the wisdom of a gun fight. She had no chance. Maybe it would be better to surrender?

But then the tides turned. The guards all seemed to notice their dead boss, and instead of shooting Jody and Howie, they turned tail and ran. The operation was apparently over.

But Jody's fight wasn't. She needed to get Howie out of the jungle and she'd been coming up with a crazy plan. She would have to take the helicopter- that was the only way out of the area, but if Hernandez's men were fleeing, she had to beat them to it.

Jody stood up, still holding the gun, and quickly apologized to her unconscious companion. "I'll be back soon. Hopefully."

And then, before she could lose her nerve, Jody dashed after the guards. She had to get that chopper. Somehow...


	7. Chapter 7

Howie was extremely groggy when he woke up. He couldn't see very clearly, but he could see that Jody wasn't beside him and that was quite concerning. Had she been hurt in the shootout? Had the gun fight even happened yet?

He very slowly sat up, but even the careful movement sent excruciating pain up and down his body. He could feel the bullet still buried into his tissue. Everything hurt. He thought he was going to pass out. Or throw up. Or maybe both. He'd thought he'd hurt himself several times doing stunts and bounty hunter work, but this was an injury like no other.

And where was Jody? If something had happened to her... Howie felt dizzy and spent the next few minutes focused on breathing. There was a lot of shouting outside. Angry shouting. But it wasn't shooting. Howie supposed that was good.

Another few minutes passed. Howie tried to get to his feet, but wound up exhausted. He sat on the edge of the tipped desk and tried not to pass out again. He needed to be there if Jody needed help.

Not that there was much he could do- not in his condition. And Jody was quite capable. He figured he could count on one hand the number of times she'd asked for his help. He was smart, but her knowledge was much more practical. And she was a better stunts person too, Howie decided. Jody...Jody was amazing.

In the past he'd always thought she was attractive, funny; a good co-worker. But simply that. A fellow protégé, learning from Colt. And she'd never thought much more of him, he figured.

But they'd been working for Colt for years. Everyday, with countless cases and jobs and dangerous situations, it had been the three of them, side by side. Colt, Jody, and Howie. And the thought of losing either of them was gut-wrenching. Especially Jody. Colt was above both of them, their mentor, but Howie and Jody were equal partners. And she possessed much more charm than Colt. Obviously.

It was plain and simple. Though he didn't know how or when, Howie had fallen for Jody. He loved her, regardless of what she thought of him.

"Fine! Let's go!" The object of Howie's said affections barged into the shack. She looked slightly mad, but her gun was lowered, despite several of Hernandez's men standing behind her. Howie figured she must have made some sort of negotiation with them.

"Come on, Howie. We're getting out of here," said Jody. She marched to his side, her deep blue eyes still narrowed in frustration. A couple of the guards also helped Howie to his feet, and between the group of them, he was practically carried out of the shack and down a jungle path.

Beyond the tall grass, Howie could see the glint of the helicopter's hull, the reflecting light which had first led Howie to find Jody. But were they taking the helicopter? Why was Jody mad? What was going on?

"Careful with him," said Jody as the group finally reached the chopper and the guards set Howie on board. He was surprised he was still conscious. The jaunt through the jungle hadn't exactly been easy on his wound. His heart was racing fast as the pain coursed through his body. He was still in danger of dying any minute. It wasn't a fun feeling.

"All right. Let's go back to the cruise ship," said Jody. Surprisingly, Hernandez's men looked like they were taking orders from her. What had happened while he had been unconscious?

The helicopter took off with a full load- Howie, Jody, the pilot, copilot, and three other guards all crowded on board. Jody was crammed closely up against him, but Howie didn't mind. When the roar of the chopper was loud enough, he leaned even closer to ask her what was going on.

"I chased down Hernandez's men. They didn't shoot us once their boss was gone. What point was there? They didn't think they had a job at all anymore. I had to convince them that Hernandez was simply the accomplice of Big Jack's client. He wasn't the real mastermind anyway and he was simply planning to double cross them." Jody frowned. "They changed loyalties pretty quick, but then realized I knew too much- after all, I could easily say they were in on the plot to blow up the cruise ship and sell me to the traffickers, and they would be in prison for life. I told them that we'd let them go- all of them." Jody ground her teeth, clearly pained by the thought of crooked people escaping justice. "And in order to convince them to help you, I had to pull a bluff and convince them we'd let them share Hernandez's millions he already found. But with him dead, the money could be anywhere. He could have already sold the jewels to someone on the black market for all we know. They're lost forever." Jody was talking quietly. With all the wind noise in the background, only Howie could hear her. And even then, he struggled.

"So let me get this straight: you promised riches and freedom to these people?"

"Yeah. And we better not be around when they find out we don't have the riches." She glanced over her shoulders at the men beside them and sighed. "I feel terrible. I'm going against the law, Howie. But I couldn't let you die."

She squeezed his hand and he felt dizzy. He smiled as he passed out.

•••

Colt was becoming very concerned. Hernandez didn't call back, and the bomb was still ticking. Kay started pacing the deck.

"Listen, boys," she began. "We've got to get out of here. Forget the ransom, forget Hernandez. This place is going to explode and take us with it. We've got to finish evacuating the crew and hightail it out of here."

Colt rubbed his chin. He hated to agree with Kay Faulkner of all people, but she was right. They had been chasing their own tails; running around the ship like crazies. The best bet was riding on Howie's ability to track Jody and make sure Hernandez's threats were meritless.

"Okay! Let's go!" The captain bolted for the door, leaving Colt and Kay in his wake.

"Well, someone agreed with me," said Kay, grinning slightly.

"Don't get cocky. Now come on."

"Two someones! And one of them Colt Severs, himself."

"It's gone to your head, Kay." Colt held the door to the bridge open while his companion strutted through. "Seriously. You get this happy when people like common sense?"

"Don't mock me. And walk faster. We have no clue how long we have." She had broken into a light jog and Colt ran to keep up with her. They headed down to the bottom deck, where the lifeboats were stored.

The captain was already there: on his knees and sobbing.

Colt soon realized the problem. While they had been waiting for Hernandez to call them back, the crew had finished evacuating. The lifeboats were all gone, yellow spots on the horizon. There wasn't a single boat left.

"We're dead! We're dead!" sobbed the captain. Colt looked at Kay. They certainly couldn't swim all the way to shore.

They were trapped.

•••

Jody held Howie's hand as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Every time he closed his eyes a jolt of fear coursed through her. She didn't want Howie to die. She cared about him. Probably more than anyone, save maybe Colt. But even then, it was different. Colt was like an older and more experienced brother. Howie was her equal. Her partner. And she loved him. As a friend, and maybe even more- she wasn't really sure. But she was terrified of losing him. Which made it ridiculously hard to drop him off at the hospital.

They landed on the roof and the three random guards in the back of the chopper volunteered to carry Howie in and then scram. Jody would go with the pilots and make sure everyone was off the ship. She made sure to threaten the guards before they carried off Howie.

"Make sure he gets to the doctor! If I find out you let anything- _anything_ -happen to him..."

"Don't worry, lady. We want our money, remember? Your boyfriend's safe with us."

Jody nodded, not bothering to correct them. "Just be careful with him."

Unfortunately, Howie choose that moment to wake up.

"What...what's happening?"

"We're at the hospital. You're going to be okay. I'll be back."

"You're leaving?" His voice was nothing more than a half-delirious whisper, but Jody detected his disappointment. His eyes started to close again and that familiar jolt of fear shot through Jody. Without fully thinking, she leaned toward and kissed him, trying to keep from crying. Howie was already unconscious, and one of the guards snickered. Jody gave him an evil eye and moved away from Howie so Hernandez's men could lift him off the helicopter. She righted herself in her seat and tipped her chin up, trying to keep the commanding-look about her. She didn't want them thinking she was a sniffling little girl. They'd never take orders from her then.

"Don't forget our money," one of the guards called as they started to carry Howie toward the hospital staff who were rushing onto the roof to see the helicopter commotion.

The pilot turned the engine back on, and Jody's response was thankfully drowned out by the noise. She was glad they hadn't heard her hesitation.

She watched Howie and the guards as long as she could see them. But then the helicopter was too high and they had turned into nothing more than specks in a city full of bigger specks that resembled houses and buildings. Jody faced forward and took deep breaths to compose the hundreds of emotions racing through her. She still had a job to do.

•••

"Maybe some of the mattresses in the cabins will work as flotation devices?" Colt was pacing, trying to come up with a decent plan to keep them from exploding or drowning. Because, really, neither option sounded fun.

"The mattress will get waterlogged long before we reach port," replied Kay. "Perhaps something wooden. Maybe we can steal some deck chairs?"

"We're going to die! We're going to-"

"Pull yourself together, man!" Colt rebuked the captain, tired of listening to him moan and sob. "Help us come up with ideas. We're not dead yet."

"Okay, um...How about we flag down the helicopter?"

"What helicop-?" Kay trailed off as they all heard the whirring of the rotors approaching the ship. "Do you think it's Hernandez?" she asked Colt.

He wasn't sure. "Let's go to the top deck. We might as well see."

They all jogged up the flights of stairs and met the chopper as it landed on the upper deck. Colt caught sight of blonde hair and felt like jumping up and down. "It's Jody!"

"I don't even see Hernandez! What's going on?" Kay asked no one in particular.

"We're saved! We're saved!" The captain actually did start jumping up and down.

The moment the helicopter was firmly landed, the three piled on board and hugged Jody.

"Get us out of here!" Colt was surprised to see Jody shout the command- to several of Hernandez's men, no less. Obviously, they had some stories to exchange.

"Go back to the hospital," Jody told the pilot.

"The hospital?" Kay yelled.

"Howie's there. He was shot."

Colt's happy feelings faded. "What?!"

Jody faced forward, her mouth a tight line. "Don't worry. I've got a lot to fill you in on."

•••

Once more, the chopper touched down on the hospital roof, but unlike the first time, security officers ran out to make sure they didn't just take off again.

"What is happening? Tell us or be arrested!" shouted a security guard with a heavy accent. He pulled out his gun.

"We're not the bad guys." Jody held up her hands and took control of the situation, moving forward to face the law. "If you want to catch someone, go up into the jungle a ways. There's a helicopter landing pad and a shack up on the cliffs. A couple traffickers are going to be showing up. Hernandez- the dead man inside the shack, was the one who was making a deal with them. He said he was expecting company. You can arrest them." Jody hoped her voice sounded firm.

"What?! Traffickers? A dead man?" The security guards all blinked at each other. "Who are you people?"

"United States bounty hunters working with the law to help capture a criminal- or a whole gang of criminals," said Colt, with a sideways glance at Hernandez's men. The security guards glanced at the henchmen and suddenly began shouting out names. It seemed they recognized all of them- off of wanted posters.

"Hobson! You are under arrest for murder!"

"Is that Juan Petri? The thief from the bank robbery last year?!"

"Montezuma Fenwick. No puedes escapar hoy."

Jody glanced at her companions as Hernandez's men were rounded up. One of them turned to yell at Jody.

"You said there was money! And we'd be free!" He began insulting her, and when he finished his tirade, Jody didn't yell back. She spoke calmly, trying to keep it all together for a few more minutes.

"I did not turn you in just now. And I had no intentions of doing so. I owed you that much for saving Howie. But your own actions did this to you." She crossed her arms, feeling somewhat justified that she hadn't helped them escape after all. They were led away and she didn't mention the money. She was perfectly fine to let her bluff stay quiet.

"And you said there were traffickers?" Another security officer appeared to be writing down Jody's information. "We'll round them up."

"Thank you."

Everyone talked and continued to answer questions for a long while. Nearly two-and-a-half-hours later, Jody, Colt, and Kay were finally left alone.

Jody felt her ebbing strength collapse entirely. She'd been on guard for so many hours, and she'd been knocked unconscious, kidnapped, threatened, faced with death, stained with the blood of her friend, forced to take charge and deceive... Jody hugged Colt and began crying.

It had been a long day.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading! The Fall Guy was a great show, so I hope you've enjoyed this! Your reviews and follows are much appreciated! Thanks again!**_

•••

Two Days Later

•••

Howie woke up in a hospital bed, quite confused. It seemed to him like such puzzled awakenings were becoming a reoccurring thing, and he wasn't sure he enjoyed it. He glanced around the room and took in the white walls, the blood transfusion bags, and the blonde girl curled up in a tattered hospital armchair by the entryway.

"Jody?"

She snapped to attention and stared around the room, as if searching for the person who had called her name. Finally, her gaze landed on him.

"You're awake?!"

"I think so."

So maybe it wasn't the brightest exchange, decided Howie, but it was wonderful at the same time- just to hear her voice and know she'd been waiting for him.

"Finally! The doctors said you were slipping into a coma after the surgeries, and I..." She shook her head, looking pained, and then bounded out of her chair and hugged Howie.

"Ouch," he murmured, rubbing his chest. He could feel layers of bandages under the hospital gown. It would probably be a few days before he'd be well enough to walk around and do normal activities.

"Sorry." Jody pulled away from him and smiled almost sheepishly. Howie suddenly had a flashback to his most recent memory: Jody ordering Hernandez's men to be careful with him, getting carried off the chopper, Jody running forward to kiss him...Had he dreamed that part? It seemed more like a dream than reality...

"So, er, what do you last remember?" Jody asked, providing Howie with the perfect opportunity to bring up the possibly-real kiss.

He debated whether he should ignore it. If it had been just a dream, that would be embarrassing for them both. But on the other hand, if it had been real... Howie took a deep breath and decided to risk it. He was used to risk. So far, it hadn't killed him.

"Well, my head was kind of fuzzy, but I remember Hernandez's people taking me away while you said you were going to go back to the cruise ship. And then, um...?"

"What?" Jody prodded, scanning his face almost expectantly. "Was there something else?"

Howie decided her behavior made it very likely that everything he remembered had been real. Why else would she be acting so odd? "Well, I kind of faintly think you might have possibly...um...kissed me?" His voice was practically a whisper; he was busy watching Jody's reaction.

Her cheeks reddened slightly and she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Yeah, well. I was afraid you were going to die."

"Oh." There was a painful silence. Then Howie rubbed his neck. "So, that means you don't actually have feelings for me."

"No, no! I do." Jody waved her hands for emphasis and stood up to pace. "I...I've been sitting here, watching you in that coma and I've been doing a lot of thinking. I mean, I know we don't always see eye-to-eye, and we've worked alongside each other for so long we're almost family, but...I do sometimes feel that...that you're so much more to me, and to lose you..."

"Me too!" said Howie. "I mean, I feel the same way- er, everything you just said. Well, except the watching you in a coma part-"

Jody laughed, and Howie grinned too. Whenever he told Jody his feelings for her in his daydreams, he was somehow much more eloquent. She didn't seem to mind though. She moved closer to him and whispered something about hoping his head wasn't as fuzzy this time. Then she leaned over and kissed him.

Howie lost track of all time and feeling. If his wound was hurting, he couldn't tell. If the kiss lasted seconds or hours, he couldn't tell either. He only felt that his heart was about to explode with happiness and he was about to jump out of bed and start an excited jig.

But then the hospital room door opened and Colt and Kay walked in with trays of food and Jody and Howie glanced up in unison, caught like kids robbing the cookie jar.

"Um..." Colt scratched the top of his head as Jody moved away from Howie and sat at the foot of his bed. "Well, um, good to see you're up, kid. Really good actually." He set down the food tray and clapped Howie on the shoulder, before also giving him a quick hug. Colt then glanced back at Jody and frowned. "Um, shall I mention what I just saw? You guys realize the married ruse is long over, right?"

Jody started laughed so hard she nearly doubled over. Howie started grinning as well.

"I think we missed something," Kay told Colt. He just continued to scratch his head and frown.

"Howie and Jody. I didn't see that coming."

"Get used to it, Pops," said Howie. Jody continued to laugh.

"Stop calling me that, kid," said Colt, while smiling. "Or else I'll cancel our extended vacation."

"Vacation?! You mean you do know the meaning of that word?" teased Howie.

"Ha, ha." Colt sat down in the armchair. "We actually have to be court witnesses at the end of the week, so we can't quite leave the Caribbean yet...but yeah, in the meantime, get better quick Howie, and you might get to spend one day on the beach before we head back home."

"Hey, I've never been better," said Howie, smiling at Jody.

Colt cleared his throat. "Anyway, Kay and I stopped in to say that the cruise ship returned safely and no one lost any of their valuables- even with all the chaos."

"Wait," began Howie. "You mean the cruise ship didn't explode?"

"The bomb was a ruse," said Kay. "A ticking clock tied to a brick."

"Oh," Howie took a moment to wrap his head around that. "What about the traffickers? Was he really going to sell Jody?"

"Unfortunately- yes," said Colt. Jody sniffed angrily.

"At least they were arrested. Everyone was arrested. Even Tina and Russ got caught."

"Really?"

"Yep. Russ shot you; Tina shot Hernandez. They'll do their time. But at least they're together. Who knows? They might repair their marriage and one day thank us."

"What about the millions then?" Howie glanced at Colt and Kay. "If Hernandez took them, and then died..."

"The law already recovered them. He had sold them and the money was wired to his various bank accounts. Now that he's dead, the money has been returned to its original owners- the ones Big Jack's client stole from."

"So...I guess everything worked out," observed Howie.

"Well, aside from the fact you got shot," said Kay. "If I got shot, I wouldn't be nearly as chipper."

"But when are you ever chipper?" Colt asked.

She crinkled her nose at him and began eating off the tray she had evidently brought for Jody. Howie could only smile as he stared around the room, feeling such a strong rush of affection for everyone, that he thought his heart really would burst.

"Anyway, job well done!" Jody said to everyone. "Now let's just enjoy this week. Big Jack's paying for it, right?"

"The government, actually. They're forced to put us up until the court trial, since we're witnesses in everything that happened. Though Big Jack did agree to give us bonuses for our trouble..."

"Score!" Jody stood and stretched, her long hair shimmering down her back. "It's going to be a good week."

Howie met her eyes and grinned so wide his face hurt. "I agree."

Though actually, he decided the rest of his life was going to be pretty great. Solving mysteries and catching criminals and doing stunts was fun in itself. But with his friends- and a beautiful girl who was now more than that... Howie's life was looking better than his wildest dream.


End file.
